


Pompeii (If You Close Your Eyes)

by ZeAwesomeBirdie



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: F/F, M/M, Memory Loss, Song: Pompeii (Bastille), Songfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-11
Updated: 2020-09-11
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:55:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26409847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZeAwesomeBirdie/pseuds/ZeAwesomeBirdie
Summary: If you close your eyes, does it almost feel like nothing changed at all?  Link cannot remember anything from before the Calamity, despite his best efforts to do so.  But he works til the very end to save Zelda and the kingdom he forgot, even if it means letting down every single Champion he saves.
Relationships: Link/Revali (Legend of Zelda), Mipha/Zelda (Legend of Zelda)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 46





	Pompeii (If You Close Your Eyes)

**Author's Note:**

> This songfic was inspired by a comment from KGdragon. The song used is Pompeii by Bastille.
> 
> This fic is dedicated to Gene, for reading everything I write twice over, even when it makes him cry.

_ I was left to my own devices _

The water he lay in was cold, colder than ice. Or perhaps he himself was colder than ice, and the water was warming him up? Above him were twists of cold stonework, blue with energy, and he sighed. He had been asleep, a peaceful dream, nothing more than a memory now. What had awoken him?

“Link.”

Was that his name? He looked down and saw he had a full body under the draining water, and became aware of movement within himself. His heart beat rapidly, he recognized the voice, and yet… he didn’t. Who was she?

“Link.”

Yes, that was his name, it had to have been. Then who was Link, before he fell asleep? There was an old man out in the wilderness of this desolate place. A strange old man, for certain, but he was also kind, and when he asked Link to retrieve the treasure in the ancient shrines, he did so without hesitation. Perhaps this old man held the key to his memory.

_ Many days fell away with nothing to show _

Three days passed before the old man - no, King Rhoam - gave him the paraglider, and Link headed out to Kakariko. He had tried his damnedest to catch one of those horses, to make his journey all the quicker, and he had failed. Would the old Link have succeeded? And then Purah at the Hateno Ancient Tech Lab had the audacity to insinuate he ought to remember her, as though he had not been asleep for a supposed one hundred years.

“Does not recall anything from before the Shrine,” the Sheikah had written in her notes, not recognizing the discomfort in his expression.

Link wanted to remember her, as he had wanted to remember Impa. Even the owner of the voice that had awoken him, Zelda, was beyond his recollection. And so far everything around him had seemed both unfamiliar and yet comfortably familiar as well.

_ And the walls kept tumbling down in the city that we love _

From Hyrule Field, Link could see both Vah Medoh, flying high above Hebra, and Vah Rudania, crawling across Death Mountain. He wondered about them, how this Ganon could have taken control of such large beings, then pushed such thoughts from his mind. It had been two weeks now, he needed to head to Zora’s Domain to free Vah Ruta. There were many sights to behold along the journey, but Link stopped for none of them. He could not remember what Hyrule was one hundred year ago, and yet still, everything was just barely over the edge of his memory.

_ Grey clouds roll over the hills bringing darkness from above _

When Prince Sidon and King Dorephan spoke of the Zora Champion Mipha, it was with love and reverence. When Muzu spoke to Link, it was with a quiet disregard for his health and safety, and Link knew there had to be some way to convince this old Zora to work with him. Then, when Sidon insisted he wear the Zora armour, he realized Muzu’s worst fear was correct, that Mipha had been in love with him, and he could not remember her at all.

The shock alone nearly floored him, but then the shame that came after!

How could he face her? How could Zelda ask this of him?

_ But if you close your eyes _

The light that embodied Zelda’s form shone through the malice. Ganon would fight, and she would push back; then it would retreat, and she felt at peace, or as at peace one could feel when their world was ending. Would Link remember her? Did that matter? Nothing would matter if she could not withstand the might of the Evil here. She could not remember how long precisely she had battled, it felt as though both mere moments and yet thousands of years had past. One hundred years was what she sensed, and yet… There was little left to do but continue to battle, to continue to hold back the Darkness.

_ Does it almost feel like nothing changed at all? _

A dread blood moon rose above her kingdom, Zelda could sense it despite being locked in this eternal battle. The Power of the Goddess radiated within her, and she forced Ganon back another step. How much longer would it be? With her strength failing after the long years, would this be enough?

“Link! Hurry!”

Could he even hear her? She sensed a renewed determination in his small frame, far from this strange Silent Realm she was trapped in, and hope filled her. Ganon would not win, after all, they had a way to return the Divine Beasts to their side.

_ And if you close your eyes _

The memories of every fight she had had with her father flooded Zelda’s mind, and she twisted away. This was Ganon’s doing, for she had not the strength to remember the reason for her failure. Now all that mattered was the future of the kingdom, a future which she had to carry until Link could arrive. He would be there soon, he had to be. Otherwise, she was the heiress to a ruined Hyrule, and he the knight of a broken princess.

_ Does it almost feel like you’ve been here before? _

Somehow she had believed Link to always be a step behind her. Ganon forced his way back, yet again vying for control in this Realm of the Goddess. Zelda paused, gathering her power, and pushed toward him, attempting to delay the inevitable. Link was always  _ right there _ when she needed him, and yet…

And yet he was  _ not _ here.

_ How am I gonna be an optimist about this? _

Tears fell from where she assumed her eyes would be should she return to a physical form. The release of emotion allowed her strength to grow, if only for a moment, and with the Power of the Goddess Zelda returned Ganon to his former position, one of weakness. Link would arrive, as he always did, she was certain now. After all, had it not been but a month since he awoke?

_ How am I gonna be an optimist about this? _

Waterblight Ganon defeated, Link threw himself upon the bed above the East Resivoir Lake. Vah Ruta was saved, as was Zora’s Domain, and Mipha. Yet Mipha had not been in love with him, as everyone had been telling him for all this time. She held affection for the princess Zelda, and begged him to save the princess. Link turned onto his side, wondering what else he had forgotten. Mipha had spoken with such familiarity, despite the long years separating that time and now. Would the other Champions be as close as she had been?

_ We were caught up and lost in all of our vices _

Next up was Vah Rudania, nothing more than a short jaunt up Death Mountain. These Gorons did not remember him as the Zora had, and for that, Link was grateful. There would eventually be a time when he was known, after all, apparently he was the Chosen Hero of the Goddess and all of that, but for now he was just Link, that Hylian who was crazy enough to attempt pacifying the Divine Beast.

_ In your pose as the dust settles around us _

The memories threatened to break Zelda, alone in her Silent Realm aside from Ganon and his Evil. But now, Mipha was free from the curse of malice, and her spirit should know rest soon. Link was doing well, and she knew he would continue to do so. There was nothing else she could do, besides hold on to her dying power. Would she withstand the Darkness? Could she?

_ And the walls kept tumbling down in the city that we love _

The day Ganon returned replayed in Zelda’s lost mind. The failure at the Spring of Wisdom, then the looks of horror on her Champions’ faces as the ground shook beneath their feet. Truly, that was the day that Hyrule died, and all hope of the Light faded from memory. Would Link remember that final day, the day their friends lost their lives? Perhaps not, and she would have to be prepared for that possibility. What more could be done now, one hundred years after the Final Battle and the loss of the Champions?

_ Grey clouds roll over the hills leaving darkness from above _

Black clouds of ash shook free from Death Mountain, but Vah Rudania was back. Link smiled hesitantly up at the ghost of Daruk, trying to pretend he remembered all of this, fully aware that he did not and could never have those memories again. It was time to move on, prepare for the trek across Hyrule to the other two Divine Beasts, and yet…

“What now?” Link shouted over the roar of the volcano, begging someone to tell him why his heart ached so, but no response came, and he was returned to Goron City, a blood moon rising overhead.

_ But if you close your eyes _

On to Vah Naboris, and the winding heat of the windy desert. The Gerudo vai spoke far too quickly for Link to keep up most of the time, but he had to carry on. It was nearly time to get the Master Sword, and Urbosa confirmed this when her spirit spoke to him after he defeated Thunderblight. Only Vah Medoh remained now, Vah Medoh and the neverending horror that had become the blood moon.

_ Does it almost feel like nothing changed at all? _

Link was not quite sure why he had left Vah Medoh for last, perhaps it was some gut instinct. He was almost afraid of what he would find in Rito Village, and he wished he could tell Zelda he was nearly done with this neverending task. Still the princess insisted he hurry, as if he hadn’t been rushing forward to the death he had long ago forgotten for the last few months.

_ And if you close your eyes _

Vah Medoh was familiar, in an uncomfortable way. So Link could remember this Divine Beast, but not the Champion who piloted it? What an insult, and the short memories he held of Revali proved that the Rito would not like finding that out. There was such pain in speaking to the ghosts of the Champions, and he wanted nothing more to do with this mission. But a part of him wanted to see Revali one more time, and to finally recall what he had forgotten.

_ Does it almost feel like you’ve been here before? _

“So, the Chosen Hero has finally graced me with his presence,” Revali said, smirking, as though Link could recall each and every petty fight they had had one hundred years ago.

Revali tilted his head, waiting for a response, in that way he always had when he was teasing, and Link realized he could  _ remember _ again; he could remember the secret training sessions that were never about training, the quiet mornings when they always woke up first, and the sudden, sharp pain of realizing that everyone had died. Link fell to the ground, the pain of the memories as sharp as the wounds he had sustained from Windblight.

“I see,” Revali sighed, “Go on, hero, thank me for saving you back there.”

It took all of Link’s strength to murmur his thanks before being teleported back to Rito Village.

_ How am I gonna be an optimist about this? _

How could he have forgotten? How could he have lost the memories of this place, of his  _ friends _ ? Everything around Link pulsed in the sunlight, and he stumbled, finally sitting on the steps leading into the village. Tears fell, hot and quick, and he angrily wiped at his eyes. The young Rito fishing in the pond nearby glanced over at him curiously, but said nothing.

Would Zelda be alive when he made it to the castle?

_ How am I gonna be an optimist about this? _

He had done it, Zelda realized, he had freed all four Divine Beasts. While Link lacked the Master Sword, he would likely be heading to the Korok Forest now, and then, with the Sword that Seals the Darkness, he would come to put an end to Calamity Ganon. The monster would no longer pose a threat to the Kingdom. While her power waned, Ganon’s did as well, and now this was a question of who could hold on longer. With the Wisdom of the Goddess behind her, Zelda prayed that Hyrule would be victorious.

_ Oh where do we begin? _

The face of the Great Deku Tree was unfamiliar yet uncomfortably familiar at the same time. Link sighed, plopping down in front of the Master Sword to listen to a speech about the princess, one hundred years ago. He wished he could remember this, and willed himself to do so, only to feel frustration as nothing happened.

_ The rubble or our sins? _

Zelda felt the tears return, and cried out in frustration. Link would be here soon, he would have to be. Maybe Ganon’s power waned as hers did, but it was a force of millenia, while she was one princess - no,  _ queen _ \- stuck in this cursed Sacred Realm until her knight arrived. He held the Master Sword now, it would only be a little while longer, or it would be her death.

_ Oh where do we begin? _

Link debated powering up the Master Sword, trying to decide if the extra power would benefit enough to make the princess wait a bit longer. Would Hyrule fall if he took this time? Finally deciding that one trial would suffice, he began his final challenge.

_ The rubble or our sins? _

Zelda pushed back with all her strength, the only thing she could do to keep Ganon back. Link had the sword, so where was he? How much longer? Was he even still coming? How much more would she have to endure?

_ And the walls kept tumbling down in the city that we love _

The memory of Hyrule’s last day returned to Zelda’s mind. She knew Ganon was reminding her of this, forcing her to relive this in an effort to weaken her. She had to get away, away from the castle, away from the guardians, to Hateno, to freedom, but Link fell, and then-

_ Grey clouds roll over the hills bringing darkness from above _

Link could remember his last night alive with Zelda now. He could remember the fear, the pain of running for so long, and then the final stand at Fort Hateno. Did the princess survive the encounter with Ganon? Steeling himself, Link prepared for his trek across Hyrule to the castle. The guardians were the worst he had fought yet, but he survived.

_ But if you close your eyes _

Link was finally here! Zelda rejoiced, then felt the sharp jab of Ganon becoming a physical entity again. Link had made it this far, he would get them through this final battle, after one hundred years. She pushed back at it as hard as she could, then felt the power of her Champions pulse through the castle, attacking Ganon. So he really had freed them.

_ Does it almost feel like nothing changed at all? _

Ganon’s physical form was dark and devious, but Link was ready for it this time. This time would be different, he would not fall like he had one hundred years ago. He could hear Zelda murmuring encouragement above him, and he gritted his teeth. It was time.

_ And if you close your eyes _

Zelda watched with bated breath while Link fought valiantly. With each stumble, he stood back up and readied his sword again. She hoped - no, prayed - that this time would be different.

_ Does it almost feel like you’ve been here before? _

Memories began to flood back into Link, not only of the Black Cherry Plains and Fort Hateno, but the final days leading up to the return of Ganon. He froze, and it was Zelda’s voice that grounded him. He could do this, he  _ would. _

_ How am I gonna be an optimist about this? _

Ganon left the observatory in a flurry of malice.

“Quick Link! To Hyrule Field!”

Link did as he was told, praying Zelda would still be there when he was done with the Calamity. The malice of Ganon formed up into a great Beast, stomping and roaring for control.

_ How am I gonna be an optimist about this? _

“Ganon has gone past all hope of resurrection,” Zelda said softly. Tears burned in her eyes; these next minutes would be crucial to their success. She felt everything all at once, the loss of Hyrule and the Goddess one hundred years ago, and the hopes and prayers of all their Kingdom riding on her and her knight. Would they be enough?

_ If you close your eyes _

Link ran forward with the Bow of Light, aiming for the marks of the Triforce on the Beast’s sides. When Ganon stumbled, falling toward him, he turned to get out of the way, only to fall underneath the heavy expanse of neverending malice. Finally a physical entity, Zelda raised a trembling hand, calling down the Power of the Goddess as the Beast righted itself. Malice rushed from its mouth just as her golden light shot forth, and darkness fell over all the Kingdom of Hyrule.

_ Does it almost feel like nothing changed at all? _


End file.
